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Roasted corn soup is served at El Mirador in San Antonio, TX. Tex-Mex aficionados say the cuisine rarely gets the credit it deserves.Credit Stacy Sodolak for The New York Times

Tens of thousands of low-wage workers and activists hit the streets last week in an ongoing nationwide campaign for $15 an hour. While opponents of higher wages say a raise would cost jobs, proponents point to a new study by the Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education that shows low wages cost taxpayers nearly $153 billion a year in government support for the working poor.

In Mexicali, Mexico, Chinese dishes are as integral a part of local cuisine as carnitas and tacos, thanks to a fascinating consequence of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.

“Texas and Mexico — two of the United States’ most-loathed peoples. America doesn’t like mongrels, and that’s exactly what Tex-Mex food is: wonderful, beautiful mongrel meals.” A great illustrated guide to the history of Tex-Mex.

An astounding number of flavors, preservatives and other additives are never tested or evaluated by the FDA before going to market. More troubling is the fact that many of the scientists hired by food companies to test new products — a process that allows companies to avoid a rigorous government safety review — have ties to Big Tobacco.

Michelle Obama wants to combat junk food marketing to kids by using the same visually appealing tricks to advertise fresh produce. It’s a laudable effort but one that’s likely to fail — and not just because food companies can outspend the First Lady 2,000 to 1.

Californians angry at lax government oversight of bottled water companies have started a petition to kick Nestle’s water bottling operations out of the state.

With little advance warning to employees, Walmart fired 2,200 people when it temporarily closed five stores, ostensibly due to severe plumbing issues. The manager of one store said it was the first time she was hearing about the sewer problems, and a worker speculated the closings were related to worker activism for higher pay.

About

Mark Bittman writes (mostly) about food for the Times Opinion pages, and is The Magazine’s lead food columnist. He is the author of “VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00” and “How To Cook Everything”. His Web site is markbittman.com.